


Third Time is a Charm

by Hogwartswonderland



Series: A Winter Skye [1]
Category: Agents of SHIELD - Fandom, Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky Barnes Remembers, Developing Friendships, F/M, First Meetings, Hacker Skye | Daisy Johnson, Hurt Skye | Daisy Johnson, Hydra (Marvel), Hydra Grant Ward, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Post-HYDRA Reveal, Running Away
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-25
Updated: 2017-09-25
Packaged: 2019-01-05 11:17:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12188973
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hogwartswonderland/pseuds/Hogwartswonderland
Summary: Both are on the run from Hydra, but in the two previous times that they have met, Bucky Barnes and Skye have not had the chance to figure out where the others allegience lies. It isn't until a chance meeting in Russia that the pair finally has the chance to hash things out. Third time must really be a charm.





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Elphabacanfigureskate](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elphabacanfigureskate/gifts).



**Number One**

Their first meeting was at Union Station. They literally bumped into each other in the crowded convenience store located on the main level, causing her to drop an armful of food (which consisted mostly of candy) and for him to knock over a magazine rack when he went to catch her from falling (even if he doesn't remember it clearly, he was a gentleman). They briefly stared into each other's eyes before they quickly separated to clean up the mess.

She briefly made a note of his metal arm (hey, she was a SHIELD agent after all) before she made a mad dash out of the store (without her candy) to avoid any more contact with him. After all, she couldn't risk Hydra (more importantly, Grant and his wacko S.O) finding out where she was. Later, when she was on the train, Skye can’t help but remember those sorrowful blue eyes of his, and wonder what his story is. Is he an unloved foster kid like her? If she led a normal life, would she had stayed to connect with him and discover the source of his pain? Skye spun theories about the mystery man until she overheard a group of businessmen discussing the fall of SHIELD, thusly reminding her of why her fantasy could never be.

Back in the store, Bucky had finished putting away the magazines and found himself looking for the girl, but stopped himself before he could garner the attention of the surrounding people. If he tried to call out for her (Doll is the word he found himself wanting to call her) it would bring unneeded attention- which in turn would lead Hydra straight to him. Even if he didn’t have to worry about them, Bucky realized it would never work anyway. He is a 90-something assassin with serious memory loss. What would he have to offer a pretty, normal girl like her?

* * *

 

**Number Two**

As fate would have it, they met again a few weeks later in a small internet café in Miami. Despite to the scorching hot weather, he dressed in a navy long sleeved shirt, dark jeans, a black hoodie, and a pair of old work boots. It wasn't exactly normal for someone in Miami. That, combined with the unforgettable metal arm made her recognize him almost immediately.

She was there biding her time until her flight to Europe (Grant and Garret managed to track her down) when she picked up on the fact that they had met before, which aroused her suspicions that he worked for Them (she refused to say their name in fear that it was taboo like Voldemort’s in Harry Potter).

He also recognized her and begun to make his way towards her spot by the door, thinking that she was a perfectly nice and normal woman that could help him with this device known as a computer (despite being unfrozen for at least a decade, he was too busy assassinating people to keep up with the advancement in technology). But before he could ask for help, she ran out the door with a look of fear evident in her eyes. He chased after her (ignoring that this would bring attention to him) wanting to know what he'd done wrong but was unable to find her. It wasn’t until later when he was bleeding in an alleyway after fighting Hydra goons that he concluded that she was not normal either- she was Hydra.

What he didn't know was that she took refuge at the boutique across the road, watching him as he looked for her before retreating to the café. No matter how drawn to him she was, she wouldn't risk becoming attaching to a man that might work with the enemy.

* * *

 

**Number Three**

The two fugitives remain separated for another four months before they run into each other in an abandoned bunker in Russia of all places.

All his research and calling up on favors led Bucky here, the place where Hydra supposedly took him after they discovered his broken and mangled body in a nearby river located below train tracks. As he wondered through the bunker, memories of bright lights, blood, and the man from D.C (who he did remember to be his best friend, Steve Rogers) reaching out to him flashed through his mind, causing a splitting headache.

His flashbacks are disrupted when a young woman, the same one who he met in Miami and Virginia all those months ago, stumbles into the cabin with multiple cuts across her face, a busted lip, and clad in what looked to be the tattered remains of a deep purple plaid top, white undershirt, and blood-stained jeans. This time it is she that is dressed incorrectly for the weather.

In the days leading up to this moment, Skye had been in the clutches of a small squadron of Hydra agents that were supposed to take her to Ward. She had gotten tired of running and doing nothing, so she devised a plan to sneak into a (supposedly) abandoned Hydra base in Russia to steal any data she could find, but they were one step ahead and the operatives had intercepted her at the dingy hotel she rented for the night. Sneaky Cowards. Skye was lucky that she recieved just enough self-defense training from Melinda May in order to do what she does best; act helpless long enough to find an opening, then use what ever tools neccessary to knock people out long enough for her to escape. Hence her current appearance. 

“Hey! I totally know you! You are the guy from Miami. And Union Station!” Skye cheers a little too excitedly. She had received a blow to the head while escaping, and that combined with a lack of sleep has made Skye a bit unstable. When Skye looks back on this moment later on, she realizes it was her genuine-yet-non-threatening reaction that encourages Bucky’s response.

“That would be me doll. Are you okay? You seem a bit roughed up,” Bucky replies instantaneously, not even thinking about what he was saying until after it came out of his mouth, completely contradicting his body’s natural response of bringing his gun up to train on the girl that dared to barge in on him. It is moments like this that the true damage Bucky Barnes endured from Hydra reveals itself.

At the sight of the gun trained on her, Skye automatically holds her hands up in a non-threatening manner, hoping that she didn’t make a mistake of upsetting the guy with a large gun. “Look dude, I just got away from a few Hydra baddies a couple hours ago and I don’t feel like having to defend myself against you. Not that I would do much since I am more of a hacker than a fighter- but that is beside the point. You look like you could take me down with your pinky finger in a millisecond, so why don’t you just put the gun down and we can talk it out?”

While Skye is ranting Bucky takes the opportunity to catalogue everything about the young woman in front of him. Once he looks past the messy clothing and her litany of injuries, it is obvious that she is not a trained fighter. She holds herself in a defensive position but it is obvious that she doesn’t have the muscle to do any real damage. That alone puts Bucky’s soldier instincts to rest. It is just an added bonus that she announces that she is an enemy of Hydra.

“You don’t have to worry about the gun,” Bucky announces as he lowers the weapon. Skye’s body relaxes instantaneously. “As long as you aren’t Hydra.”

“Seriously? I pretty much just said I was running from Hydra myself.”

“You could always be a double agent.”

If Skye didn’t want to risk being killed by the mystery man then she would have thrown something at his head. “You did not just go there. Nope. I will pretend that I never heard that. I am so freaking tired of double agents and spy games!”

Before her rant can go into details about two-faced Grant Ward, Skye decides that the best thing to do in this situation is to be completely honest and to hope for the best. She holds out her hand to him and introduces herself. “Hi, my name is Skye. I was a consultant for Shield and had just become a level one agent the day Hydra emerged. My ex S.O is a cheating Hydra scumbag that is obsessed with hunting me down. I can tell you that there is probably a small tac team on their way here now, ready to take me in. Are you going to help me or not?”

For a moment, everything is silent and only the harsh wind pounding on the side of the crudely designed bunker can be heard as Skye awaits his response.

“Sounds like you are in a bit of a jam, Doll. How about I help you if you help me?”

Skye realizes that there are so many things that can go wrong with this deal, but with the threat of more soldiers coming, she doesn’t stop to think of any possible consequences. “You have yourself a deal.”

“Well then it is nice to meet you Skye. My name is James, but you can call me Bucky.”


	2. Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skye and Bucky are friends teetering over the edge to being something more. A surprise visit from an old friend bearing news sends their relationship toppling over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everything deviates after 1x19 of Agents of SHIELD and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Disregard Civil War.

The Captain America exhibit at the Smithsonian was the last place Bucky Barnes expected to be 11 months after the battle at the Triskelion. Yet, there he was, dressed in dark wash jeans, long sleeved Henley, and leather jacket (looking very much like a modern man), waiting for Captain America- no, his friend, Steve Rogers- to show up.

Skye was there with him as support, risking being seen on camera and being caught by Hydra rather than to let him go without backup. Plus, she really wanted to see Bucky's memorial and possibly learn more about the man she had slowly fell in love with. But she wouldn't tell him that.

Bucky smiled as he watched Skye as she read about him, trying to keep the hood of the oversized jacket she was wearing from falling and revealing herself. A sense of pride surged through Bucky as he realized it was his hoodie she was wearing, which she often 'borrowed' (Bucky called it stealing).

In the past 6 months that they have been traveling together, Bucky and Skye have grown to care for one another beyond friendship. Neither one has acted upon their feelings, but they were both aware. It didn't seem like the right time to start a romantic relationship while they were both evading the clutches of Hydra.

Hopefully that would all change with this meeting that Bucky has arranged with his former (maybe current) friend, Steve. If everything turns out as he planned, then Skye will be protected from the Clairvoyant and his right-hand man- Agent Grant Ward. Just thinking about the two Hydra Agents wanting to hurt Bucky's precious Skye made him want to punch something.

"Are you alright?" Skye asked him as she sat down next to him, noticing that his knuckles were white from clenching his fist tightly.

He nodded curtly, still fueled by the anger he felt towards the formerly mentioned Hydra Agents. "I'm fine."

She rolled her eyes at her companion's tough guy attitude as she takes his clenched hand into hers and uncurls his fingers, making it so that their fingers intertwine. "You can't lie to me, Bucky.” She rubbed her thumb over the top of his hand, comforting and soothing him. "Now, what are you thinking about?"

"You," he claimed, flashing her a smile that was reminiscent of the ladies' man he used to be back in the 1940s.

"Why, aren't you a charmer, Sergeant Barnes," Skye replied with fake flattery, playing along with Bucky's ruse to avoid talking about what was really wrong. "You must have been quite the ladies' man back in your time."

"He was. This one time, he convinced this one dame- Kelly, I think her name was- to sneak out and go dancing after her curfew even though her father hated him. Her father found the two of them alone in her room when they returned and chased him out with a frying pan."

Both Skye and Bucky looked up to see Steve Rogers, who was sporting a large grin, standing in front of them. He was dressed inconspicuously in a tight fitting white t-shirt, jeans, plain blue hoodie, and a hat in a similar shade of blue. Skye took a moment to collect herself (she didn't want to bring attention to them by squealing) before she grinned up at the man.

"Hmmm, that sounds like an interesting story." She purred mischievously. "Do you happen to have anymore?"

Bucky glared at Steve, hoping that his old pal would say no more. There was no way that Bucky wanted Skye to know about some of his most embarrassing moments. Unfortunately for him, Steve didn't receive the hint.

"Plenty. But I am afraid that they will have to wait for another time." Steve responded, switching into his Captain America mode. "I need to get you two out of here as quickly as possible. We don't know if Garrett has any more men out here despite the fact that he is gone, but I don't want to take a chance."

As soon as Steve said that Garrett was gone, Bucky internally began jumping for joy and rejoicing the fact that Skye was safe from the sick, twisted man and his team. His internal giddiness only ceased when he looked over at Skye and saw her blinking owlishly; looking dazed and confounded at the news. Seeing her look so completely lost like that made his stomach churn uncomfortably.

"What's wrong, Skye? I thought you would be happy to know that he is gone," Bucky questioned her, cupping her face so that her brown eyes meet his blue.

She sighed. "I will tell you later… when we are somewhere safe." Skye then removed herself from his grasp and begins talking to Steve as they walk away.

Bucky rubbed his face in his hands, frustrated with her vague response. How was he supposed to take care of his girl if she didn't tell him what was wrong?

* * *

 

The three adults are about an hour into their drive away from DC (to where, Bucky and Skye have no idea) when the truck they are in stopped abruptly in front of what looked to be a condemned house on the outskirts of a suburban neighborhood in Virginia. Peering out the window, Bucky saw that the house isn't too bad of shape. If someone repainted the siding, replaced the floorboards on the porch, and did some major landscaping out front, then it may actually look livable. But as a former super-spy (current, depending on who you asked), Bucky quickly noticed the footprints in the muddy front yard and the outline of a retractable driveway that obviously led to an underground base.

"Where do you think we are?" Skye whispered to Bucky, scanning the surrounding area looking for clues to their location.

"I believe that we are at one of S.H.I.E.L.D's new secret bases."

Skye looked up at the house skeptically. "It's not as cool as the playground, but I guess their options for super-secret government hideaways was limited. At least it has a spooky, haunted house feel to it."

Bucky smirked at her comment. Only she would be able to compare the feel of a secret government agency base to that of a haunted house. Together Steve, Bucky, and Skye exited the van and walked up to the front of the house. Steve knocked on the door to the tune of 'Star Spangled Man with a Plan', most likely signaling that he was a friend- not a foe. The door opened a smidgen, revealing the face of SHIELD Scientist, Jemma Simmons- who was also Skye's former team mate and friend. Her brown eyes dazzled with excitement when she sees Bucky and Skye- the former shielding the latter protectively. Surprisingly, Simmons didn’t squeal and break the code of conduct. Instead she continued to smile and comment to Captain Rogers on the nice weather (which is a total lie- it is raining). Steve then replies that he always carries an umbrella. Skye and Bucky glanced at each other in confusion but shrugged it off. It must be some new SHIELD safety protocol.

Once the fake pleasantries are traded, the trio was allowed entrance the secret base which did not match the usual description of super-secret spy bases. Rather than stainless steel walls, black marble flooring, and bulletproof glass enclosures that were in previous SHIELD regulated buildings, the Victorian era house remained true to its roots. The walls were covered with white shiplap, making the rooms feel light and airy. There were old fashioned photographs of events throughout SHIELD history hanging on the walls above the plush brown loveseat that was pushed against the wall besides the winding staircase. Mahogany square side tables flanked both sides- one contained various magazines and the other was home to a plain lamp with a gold base and a box of tissues. The floor was a nicely distressed wood that carried up the steps. A mahogany door on the left wall separated the main entrance from the rest of the house. The only thing modern about the entire room was the large glass door and keypad that restricted access to the upstairs.

"Not bad for a secret base. At least it doesn't match the rest of the creepy haunted house feel that the outside had," Skye joked before being brought into a crushing hug by Simmons.

"I missed you so much, Skye!" Jemma exclaimed to the young hackavist. "It has been very lackluster without you around to constantly make jokes. I think Agent- I mean Director - Coulson has even missed your pranks. What exactly have you been up to? Never mind, don't tell me. Based on the rumors, I don't think I want to know. Has it been exciting traveling the world? You must have seen so much! Unfortunately, I have been stuck here with-"

"Jemma!" Skye cuts of Simmons. "I missed you too. But can you please let me go so I can breathe again?"

Jemma released Skye reluctantly and smiled sheepishly. Skye goes back over to stand by the former Winter Soldier, who is tense from having someone other than him touch Skye. Skye realized this so she placed a hand on his bionic arm in order to calm him down. "Relax soldier. I told you about my team mate, Jemma Simmons, before."

The name clicks, memories of the funny anecdotes Skye has told him about Fitzsimmons rush to him, allowing him to relax. Despite the news that Garrett is dead, he couldn’t help but be overprotective. Jemma obviously noticed the affection between the two and looked at Skye quizzically, hoping for answers about the other agent’s time with the infamous Winter Soldier.

"Why don't you show us to Coulson, Agent Simmons? I am sure he realizes we are here by now," Steve interjected in order to keep Simmons from asking too many questions. Jemma nodded, swiped her ID card at the steps, then lead the group upstairs, all while spitting out random facts about the base. Since she leads, Skye and Bucky are corralled into the middle while Steve brought up the rear. The two dark haired adults tune out the talkative scientist as they take in their surroundings.

"Why weren't you happy earlier with the news of the Clairvoyant?" Bucky asked somberly to Skye. Skye looked him in the eyes and sighed, her head falling down so that her hair veiled her face.

"I was scared," she whispered.

The former soviet spy looks at the former agent with melancholy. All he needs is to hear her say those words for him to understand her previous reaction. He understands that she was scared that it would end up being a lie, and that the one moment of true happiness she had would be cruelly ripped away. James used to feel that way all the time until he met the brunette hacker.

"You don't need to be scared anymore, darling. You are free to be happy."

Skye stopped abruptly, causing Steve to bump into Bucky who also halted. Jemma continued to walk and prattle on; completely unaware of what was happening behind her.

"Do you mean that?" Skye asked Bucky with tears welling in her eyes.

Bucky- the tough Winter Soldier that could take on Captain America in a fight- nodded in response, seeing as he too was starting to choke up. Being at this base reminded Bucky that he too was not alone. He had a friend and beautiful dame that were in his corner. Without warning, Skye launched herself into his arms and began sobbing, letting out months- maybe years- of heartbreak and frustration. Jemma finally clued in to her surroundings and watched as the couple rocked back and forth; Bucky occasionally smoothing Skye's hair and pressing a kiss to her head. It was a heartwarming sight and in that very moment, the bio-chemist knew that the man with a turbulent history and the girl with an unknown past were meant to be together. Steve caught her eye and gestured for her to step away and give to two a moment to themselves.

The couple eventually broke apart, not noticing that their friends were no longer with them. All they did was stare into each other's eyes before leaning in for a soft kiss. It is not passionate and wild, but rather slow and sweet. Skye may be a hurricane of sarcasm and pop culture references, but she prefers to savor the kiss that she has been waiting months for. They can each feel the love that has been growing since their first meeting at Union Station finally spill out. In their minds, it was so worth the wait.

"I love you so much, Bucky."

He just smiled and kissed her again, finally happy to take the next step forward now that his girl was safe and sound.


End file.
